Summary and highlights of relevant education, career and experience

Chris Conrad has studied cannabis (marijuana) since 1988 and first qualified as a court expert in 1994. Author of Cannabis Yields and Dosage, he also wrote two scholarly books on cannabis, Hemp: Lifeline to the Future and Hemp for Health, and contributed to numerous others. Presented findings at the Fifth Clinical Conference on Cannabis Therapeutics (2008) and California Assn. of Toxicologists (2012). Familiar with many books and scientific studies, including National Institute on Drug Abuse and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) data. Consults with government agencies. Reported on dispensaries for California state legislators. Testified before National Academy of Science, Institute of Medicine. Regularly consults with patients, providers and physicians, including some of the world’s foremost authorities on cannabis.

Has since 1991 traveled to Europe numerous times to research cannabis. Has hands-on experience in the breeding, cultivation and processing of cannabis in Holland and Switzerland. Examined personal cannabis gardens in Spain, Argentina, and industrial hemp in Germany and Holland. Observed indoor, outdoor and greenhouse gardens, participated in harvests and processing.

2016: Qualified as cannabis expert witness in California counties of Amador, Contra Costa, El Dorado, Lake, Mendocino, Napa, Placer, Sacramento, San Joaquin, San Mateo, Santa Clara and Tuolumne. Qualified in Commonwealth of Virginia. Keynote speaker via video for Global Hemp Forum in Kyoto, Japan. Released book, The Newbie’s Guide to Cannabis and the Industry. Spoke at International Cannabis Business Conference in San Francisco, Mendocino Cannabis Resource Conference and Grassroots Cannabis Conference. Attended presentations by Bureau of Medical Cannabis Regulation in Sacramento and San Francisco. Prepared informational Powerpoint presentations and spoke about California’s laws and Proposition 64 at events and on podcasts and radio programs throughout the state. Prepared comparison chart of pre- and post-Prop. 64 laws and penalties. Presented at a Seminar Group CLE in Los Angeles. Spoke at Seattle HempFest. Curator of the Oaksterdam Cannabis Museum. Faculty member of Oaksterdam University, Board of 420 Archives Historical Society.

2015: Qualified as cannabis expert in California counties of Yolo, Los Angeles, Shasta, Butte, Napa, Santa Clara, San Joaquin, Tehama, Lake, Solano, Sonoma, El Dorado, Sacramento, San Mateo, Alameda, Contra Costa, Mendocino and the State of Arizona. Attended and gave presentation on medical marijuana in Sydney, Australia. Attended Society of Cannabis Clinicians conference in Oakland, California. Attended medical marijuana conference and gave three presentations for International Pharmaceutical Academy, Toronto, Canada, on medical marijuana, introduction to cultivation, and advanced cultivation. Gave presentation on history of medical marijuana, International Canna Pro Expo, Orlando, Florida. Presented MCLE training on California marijuana law for the Sonoma County Bar Assn. Taught History and Political Science for Oaksterdam University in Oakland, California, and Las Vegas, Nevada. Curated Oaksterdam Cannabis Museum. Co-chaired Museum Committee, Board of 420 Archives Historical Society. Met with Oakland Museum of California to discuss upcoming “Altered States: Marijuana” exhibition. Spoke at numerous events and radio shows. Received Lifetime Achievement Award at California Emerald Cup.

2013: Qualified as cannabis expert in Kern County Juvenile Court, and in the California Superior Courts of Alameda, Butte, Colusa, Contra Costa, Del Norte, El Dorado, Fresno, Humboldt, Los Angeles, Mendocino, Placer, Sacramento, San Mateo, Shasta, Solano, Sonoma and Tehama Counties on many of the same issues as described in the years below. Qualified as cultivation and processing expert in Michigan court, testified telephonically. Attended presentations on medical marijuana and cultivation at numerous educational events throughout the country including the Bay Area Hempfest, Emerald Cup, International Cannabis and Hemp Expo, International Drug Policy Reform Conference, Rossmore Medical Marijuana Club, Seattle Hempfest, and others. Consulted with the Washington State I-502 implementation team. Prepared educational video for Cannabiz. Curator of the Oaksterdam Cannabis Museum. Faculty member at Oaksterdam University.

1994: Qualified as expert witness in the California Superior court of Madera County on industrial hemp and hempseed. Studied and consulted on Hemp Agrotech’s research crop of industrial hemp grown in the Imperial Valley (California) in conjunction with the US Department of Agriculture research station. Met and had informal consultations with owners of Hempline, the first Canadian group to grow a research crop of industrial hemp in North America. Toured hemp stores and museums throughout the US and Canada. Monitored legal cannabis indoor cultivation projects at Sensi Seed Bank, the Hash-Marijuana-Hemp Museum, Positronics, b.v., and at numerous other cannabis gardens located in Amsterdam. Discussed medical cannabis and use patterns with at least 100 patients and numerous doctors.

1993: Authored Hemp: Lifeline to the Future, a comprehensive study of the cannabis plant, including a chapter on cannabis botany. Read at least 100 abstracts, studies and peer reviewed medical literature regarding the therapeutic and industrial utility of cannabis. Spent six months in The Netherlands where I designed and arranged informational exhibits and curated the Hash-Marijuana-Hemp Museum in Amsterdam; collected items, prepared and labeled informational displays and explanatory materials, produced handouts for visitors, maintained a library about cannabis, supervised a legal indoor cannabis “grow room” exhibit featuring hydroponic systems, soil, plants from seed and clones, sexing to maturity, harvest, cure and manicure. Utilized various lighting systems and cycles; evaluated growing techniques and yields, planting densities, and pruning patterns; advised in the design of and adjustments to the system and its operation. Field research included investigation and discussion of social use, customs, commercial sales, consumption patterns, medical case histories, regional cultures, kif and hash making, evaluating quality and use of herbal cannabis. Experimented with raw stalk, fibers, hempseed foods and cannabis medicinal preparations including derivatives, tinctures and poultices. Traveled through France, Holland and Hungary researching legal commercial hemp farms and processing. Made a national tour of Dutch cannabis outlets and interviewed the proprietors, staff and clientele. Monitored legal cannabis indoor cultivation projects at Sensi Seed Bank, the Hash-Marijuana-Hemp Museum, and at Positronics, b.v., in Amsterdam. Discussed use patterns with at least 200 medical marijuana patients.

1992: Spent six weeks in The Netherlands working at “Cannabis Castle,” a primary facility of Sensi Seed Bank, a legal Dutch cannabis research and breeding company. Participated and monitored all aspects of cultivation from starting seedlings and rooting clones to sexing plants, genetic selection and pollination, hybridization, seed selection and processing for indoor, outdoor and greenhouse varieties. Monitored flower development, resin enhancement, yields, curing, processing and manicure. Researched various genetic materials for characteristics. Met with researchers at Wageningen University (Netherlands) research facility on industrial and horticultural aspects of cannabis hemp. Made a national tour of regional Dutch cannabis outlets and interviewed the proprietors, staff and clientele.

1989-2002: Ongoing cannabis research, reviewing scientific and media reports, interviewing more than one thousand American, Dutch and international consumers and growers on production and consumption.

2004: Testified before the Oakland City Council and Humboldt County Board of Supervisors.

2003: Testified before the County Board of Supervisors for the counties of Kern and San Francisco, Oakland Public Safety Committee. Taught CLE seminar for Santa Cruz Criminal Defense Attorneys. 2001: Presented expert testimony and prepared displays on issues of cannabis cultivation and consumption and presented a report to Berkeley Public Health and Safety Commission; guest lectured in political science at University of California, Berkeley. Consulted with Sonoma Alliance for Medical Marijuana in developing guidelines adopted by County of Somona law enforcement.

2000: Keynote speaker on medical marijuana at Alameda Medical Group staff dinner. Guest lectured at Mills College. Presented expert testimony for the City of Martinez (CA) on the federal IND medical marijuana program, garden yields and consumption. Presented data on medical marijuana use and cultivation at the Drug Policy Foundation conference, Washington DC. Gave presentations at Santa Cruz Industrial Hemp Expo (CA). Gave two presentations at Cannabis College (Amsterdam).

1998: Taught cannabis at the Omega Institute (NY). Testified at National Academy of Science / Institute of Medicine hearings on medical marijuana (Irvine). Presented report on medical cannabis to SSSP sociologists convention. Gave presentations at the Hemp Industries Association convention, Santa Cruz Industrial Hemp Expo, VisionQuest, State of the World Forum and National Organization to Reform Marijuana Laws (NORML). Debated former DEA head Peter Bensinger at Cal State University, Northridge.

1996: Consulted on hemp legislation with State Representatives Fred Maslack of Vermont and David Tarnas of Hawai’i. Authored the industrial hemp plan for the Jamaican government). Coordinated petitioners for California medical marijuana initiative, Prop. 215 (passed). Testified at Oakland City Council and Contra Costa County Supervisors on medical cannabis, regulations and options. Lectured at Stanford University. Lectured at Eco Expo and Whole Life Expo (CA). Participant in State of the World Forum (CA). Panelist in DPF conference (Washington DC) plenary session on medical cannabis.

1995: Met with European Cities on Drug Policy (ECDP) staff to discuss the Frankfurt Resolution on cannabis policy. Testified at Colorado State Senate Agriculture Committee hearing on the economic and agricultural value of low-THC industrial hemp as a farm crop, European hemp regulations and subsidies, infrastructure and other commercial aspects, and genetic and environmental influences that maintain the non-drug characteristic of industrial hemp. Panelist in DPF conference plenary session on hemp. Spoke at Land, Air and Water legal conference (Oregon), Chapman University (CA), Whole Earth Expo (CA), Winnipeg University (Canada), and European Cannabis Consumers Organization organizing conference (Netherlands). Attended four day Biorohstoff Hanf symposium (Nova Institut, Frankfurt, Germany).

1994: Had discussions with Eric Fromberg, head of The Netherlands National Institute on Alcohol and Drugs, and other Dutch officials regarding their policy of tolerance, regulation and control of cannabis distribution. Panelist in ACLU drug policy forum (Los Angeles CA). Chapman University (CA). Presented hemp seminars throughout Holland and the US.

1993 Presented at Le Premier Journee Internationale du Cannabis (Paris, France). Had discussions with Eric Fromberg, head of the Dutch National Institute on Alcohol and Drugs, and other officials regarding their policy of regulation and control of cannabis distribution.

1992: Testified on hemp development and regulatory options at the US Congressional Hearings on Improving the Operations and Activities of the United Nations (Los Angeles, CA).

1994-2003: Founding member, first president, multi-term board member of the Hemp Industries Association (HIA), the trade group for companies marketing legal hemp products.

1990-2002: Business consultant to hemp businesses including American Hemp Mercantile, Hemp-Flax, All Around the World Hemp, Crop Circle Clothing, and The Peebler Group.

1988-2002: Director of the Business Alliance for Commerce in Hemp which researches and develops information on applications of cannabis. Prepared educational materials, analyzed international laws controlling hemp production, identified sections of customs and federal regulations that allow businesses to produce and market non-drug hemp products.

1988-2002: Director of the Family Council on Drug Awareness, which analyzes marijuana research.